


Ophelia

by lawfulvictorianx



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Implied Relationships, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-29
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-05-30 15:36:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15099773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lawfulvictorianx/pseuds/lawfulvictorianx
Summary: // Evie unfortunately makes one mistake in one of her missions and is now forced to work with the Templars. The question is who should she trust? She is caught in a complicated chess game, where the other side has the upper hand but will she survive through it? Will she let her personal feelings compromise the mission? //“And I heard you were supposed to be the smarter one of the Frye twins?”





	1. A Thorne In The Side

Evie’s stomach twisted and turned in anticipation as she saw the tower get closer and closer into view. It was a strange occurrence for her. The last time she experienced this similar feeling of anxiety was her first assassination. She did not want to call it hesitation however that was exactly what it was. She could not quite put her finger on why exactly she was so nervous about this one assassination. She had done it numerous times before and like the owner of the mill, Thorne deserved this. 

Or did she? Yes, that must be it. Evie was just having doubts. She did not know much about this woman since she had only experienced brief interactions with her, such as their fight at St Paul’s cathedral and having a small glance at each other at the Kenway mansion before she managed to find the lever to seal the secret entrance once again. She was a templar, it was only her duty to fight against the Assassins. She could be seen as a rather honorable woman for doing so since she was not willing to betray her order no matter what the challenge.  However, there was no denying that the woman was cruel and sadistic. The way she had fought with Evie and threatened Brewster was enough proof. 

In addition, Evie also had to stick to her creed as well. She was an assassin and Thorne was a templar. Thorne was a threat, even if she was less harmful as Starrick himself. She had to be killed or the world would eventually fall into their control and Evie would never forgive herself if she let Henry, Jacob, George or especially, her father down.  This was enough motivation for Evie to finally take the dreaded steps over towards the Tower of London. 

The gate is guarded by two guards, which is not an issue for Evie as she slips by, unnoticed as she climbs up the wall, out of sight of the two. She perches on top of one of the towers on the curtain wall and activates her eagle vision. The whole area is now drowned in the colour of a dull grey but there is small patches of red and blue littered around as she watches the guards on their patrol. She searches around still until she finds the familiar glow of vibrant yellow. Thorne is surrounded by several guards. It will not be easy to get through them all without getting spotted and alerting the templar.  She spots in the corner of her eye a man being pushed into a room by two or three fake guards and assumes from his attire that he must be very high up in the chain of command. That would be helpful for dealing with the templars in the tower but she would rather not draw too much attention to herself. She wants to be anonymous as possible. She could not risk the consequences that Jacob constantly subjected London to.

As she moves away, hopping from wall to building, she notices a man walking around an area of the tower and it appears he has a key on him. Perhaps Evie could use the key to find an alternative entrance. There are plenty of hiding spots for her to ambush him or one of the guards therefore she may not find it that difficult.  Still, she would rather not go into this blindly. She needed to think this through properly as she did not have the same trait of impulsivity that Jacob possessed. She had to explore all opportunities and it seemed for now it would be better to find Mr Green’s contact and see what he could do to assist her. 

She previously remembered before that she had seen a glowing white target behind one of the buildings. He seemed to be on his own and hiding from the sight of the guards. She was tempted to praise herself when she saw that she had remembered his location perfectly but she thought it was too childish of her and this was not a game and when she jumped down onto the building onto the scene, the man was not alone as she had previously assumed. A man was laid on the ground, with crimson red blood pouring out from underneath him, showing this was a fresh kill. 

“You’re one of Green’s friends, aren’t you?” the man standing over the body asked nervously, dressed in a quite a flamboyant red outfit, which looked quite ridiculous but Evie was not one to judge openly.

“Yes, you are correct. Mr Green told you I would be here, then?” Evie asked her own question, putting down her hood and standing up straight. Inside, Evie was feeling a slight bubbling of worry in her stomach as she reflected on her conversation with Henry. She did not think he would tell him who she was. He had seemed to respect Evie’s need for privacy during missions however Evie let it go. She trusted Henry. He was not acting in foul play. He may have just had other things on his mind at the time and forgot. 

The man let out a sigh of relief, “Yes, he did. Thank heavens you’re here, Miss Frye. It will be helpful to have someone on my side to deal with these intruders. As you can see, I have dealt with one already.”

“I am glad to help. Although, could I ask why you killed him exactly?”

“Self defense. I found out these men were not apart of the Royal Guard so he tried to eliminate me. I managed to dodge him before he put that knife anywhere near me.”

Evie doubted what he was saying slightly as why would they see him as such a threat? They were passing as the real guards so if he did tell someone, would they even believe him? Or would they send him away to be put away in an asylum to cure his paranoia and madness?  She shook off these thoughts. The henchmen of the Templars were never that clever to begin with therefore it would be reasonable to say they just panicked and thought killing him would be the only way to avoid being caught and sent to prison. The dagger next to the body lying there in the grass, gleaming with the same sticky substance that coated the dead man and the concrete he laid on, supported his story. She was planning on having another look at the body, examining his wounds further however the contact had another idea. 

“That Thorne woman is inside the tower. Fortunately for us, those disguises can work in our favour, they will not be able to tell who is their ally or their foe,” the man told Evie as she nodded along in response. She could already guess what his plan was. “I could sneak you in, hopefully long enough to get you close to her.”

Evie pondered over it. It seemed to be the best option as she was confident that she would be able to exterminate the guards and it would not alert the others. She could use her hidden blade to eliminate them and then go straight for Thorne herself, who would be unaware of the danger creeping up behind her. She would not need a key or any assistance from the Royal Guard. It was quite the flawless plan hence why she then agreed. 

She held her right arm behind her back, which he then gripped onto, making it look like he was pushing her forward when in reality, she was leading on and he was just following. As they made their way out from behind the building, his arm suddenly tensed up and his other hand pushed her back forward. She stumbled forward with her arms stretched out in a reflex action to keep her balance and to protect herself if she ended up failing forwards however that was what ended up as her downfall when two guards grabbed ahold of her wrists and unlucky for her, the one of her left had positioned himself so her hidden blade could not stab him. She was just about to the kick one of them when she felt someone kick her from behind her knee so she ended up falling to her knees. This allowed them to unfastened her gauntlet on her left arm and discard it on the ground and to strip her of her infamous cane. 

“Mr Green will hear of this,” she growled, her turquoise eyes narrowing in anger at the man who was  _ supposed _ to help her. 

“And I heard you were supposed to be the smarter one of the Frye twins?” He laughed, signalling the men to start following him while forcing Evie to be dragged along with him, heading straight for the front entrance. She looked around her in an attempt to find a real Royal guard to help her however it seemed that some of them had disappeared from the posts she remembered them being stationed at. A sight of a polished black boot poking out from a nearby hiding spot told Evie all she needed to know. _ Bloody Templars… _

There were many comments from other Templars and Blighters, congratulating them on successfully capturing the Frye when they entered the Tower. Evie glared at them all, annoyed at herself for letting this happen so easily.

“I was very surprised when you believed my lie about him being a disguised guard and attacking me. You almost did find out though. It is lucky that I managed to distract you or you would have noticed he had wounds from the knife I used not from the baton I carried,” he carried on, forcing Evie to loathe herself even further. It had been a ridiculous idea to trust him so readily when there were so many red flags, just because his idea seemed so perfect for the mission. Perhaps Jacob’s approach was more beneficial; to not think and to just do everything carelessly like when he assassinated Attaway. He had made the same mistake however by trusting the woman in the first place without knowing anything really about her.

She felt her breathing start to get quicker as she was pulled along over to the room Thorne was located in. When inside the room, her cheeks burned a light rose pink and she tried to pass it off as embarrassment for finally being caught. Although, they seemed to burn even more once Thorne finally turned around to face her after the guard announced that they had managed to capture the assassin. 

“Welcome, Miss Frye. Do you care to tell me where the shroud is?” the Templar inquired, smirking smugly at Evie. She wasn’t certain what exactly she was smirking at but she did not think for a moment that Thorne hadn’t noticed how much red she had become. She remained silent, trying to keep some of her dignity. “As you wish. I shall find it without your help. And then, I’ll strangle you with it. Watch her closely.”  Her expression quickly changed into a cold frown when she said this and after, she turned her back on the Assassin. 

She said something else however Evie must not have been focusing. The same feeling of frustration flooded her senses. Her father always told her to not allow let personal feelings to compromise the mission and she followed by those words or at least tried. Despite this, every time she saw Thorne, she felt something strange. The woman was intimidating, yes however it was not what fear that Evie experienced. It was a weird form of anxiety. Everytime she came across Starrick’s second in command, it felt like her ribcage was a prison, restricting her lungs from breathing properly. Her gaze was always focused on the woman like she was a priority. She always became flustered when she was in close proximity to her. She was supposed to be Evie Frye, notorious for her cautious and calm demeanor. When she was near the older woman, she was reduced to someone entirely different. She was tongue tied, timid and hesitant. It was most likely why Thorne had managed to get her off guard in the cathedral and to steal the precursor artifact. 

It did not help that the woman was rather beautiful. Admitting that to herself in her mind always get her a sensation of a unfamiliar fluttering in her body. Everything about Thorne was unique from fiery red hair to her mysterious scar on her lip or to how her warm chestnut eyes seemed to strike fear into anyone who stared into them. Her elaborate outfit also brought attention to herself. It showed she obviously had a lot of confidence since she dressed her own way and did not seem to care about others’ opinions on it. 

“Which one of you did it?” Lucy interrupted her thoughts. It was when she turned around and saw the confused look on Evie’s face, she elaborated further, “Which one of you killed Pearl?” 

The question threw Evie off but she witnessed something even more surprising. The expression on Thorne’s face showed something other than overconfidence or anger. It was brief but she had saw the flash of pain in her eyes and the way her lips tightened in response. 

“It was J-” Before Evie could answer, a Templar dressed in guard clothes ran in, his hair a mess and his face struck with horror. Previously, Lucy was focusing all of her attention on Evie, not taking her eyes off her for even a moment but finally she looked away. Evie could swear she heard her sigh. She did see her roll her eyes though. 

“What is it?”

“I-it’s the Royal Guard, Miss Thorne. They’ve realised what’s happening. We’re trying to hold them back but you should get out of here,” he stuttered.

“Fine. We have checked in every corner here, the Shroud is somewhere else. Luckily I’ll have someone to help me in this search now.”

The last thing Evie saw was Lucy staring towards her and then doing a signal to the guards. Everything went black as fast as a shutter on a camera as she felt a pain to the back of her head. Her sight regained slightly but it was all a blurry haze. She could only make out certain figures. There were some words said too however they were just murmurs and she could not hear what was exactly said. She felt someone pick her up. She couldn’t figure out who exactly and she didn’t have any time to as she fell into unconsciousness. 

 

                                                                                                        _______________________

  
  


After the Frye was taken care of, Lucy strode through the building towards to the familiar large tall oak doors and opened them up as she walked into the room. She was going to close the doors behind her. The nervous man stood next to Starrick’s desk, holding a notepad prevented her from doing so. It was the exact look a child would give a parent if they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t. Lucy took little notice, many acted like that around her. The way he clutched the notepad to his chest worried her and Starrick must have seen this as he then quickly dismissed him. 

“How was your search?” Starrick asked. She felt a surge of disappointment run through her. She had been sure that the Tower of London was where the Stroud was located. Despite this, she supposed that would be too simple. Neither the Templars or the Assassins liked choosing the easy way. 

“The Stroud wasn’t there,” Lucy informed him calmly. The grand master sighed and looked down on his desk, contemplating. 

“You have the key still?” He looked up for a short moment and Lucy responded by lifting up the necklace around her neck and presenting it to him. He seemed less distressed now but she was going to give him some even better news.

“I have Evie Frye.” 

Starrick raised an eyebrow at this. “Were you not planning on killing her earlier? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind about avenging Pearl.”

“Me and her are searching for the same thing. She knew about the Kenway mansion, just by reading one of my documents she stole therefore she might be able to locate the piece of Eden. There is a rumour in a few books and documents I’ve read that the Assassins have some sort of sight which allows them to see things others can’t and I believe we could use that to our advantage.”

“What about Pearl?” Lucy could tell Starrick’s temper was starting to grow so she knew she now had to talk about the subject a little more lightly, which meant she could not allow herself to get upset either.

“It is only a temporary alliance, Crawford. Miss Frye will pay for her crimes against our order and so will Mr Frye when he gets the news that we have her. It will be killing two birds with one stone.”

“How can you be so sure Miss Frye will help you in your search?”

“I’ll earn her trust. It will allow me to use her abilities and then add salt into the wound when I slaughter them both.”

Lucy flashed a sadistic grin whilst saying this. The tension in the room started to dissolve as his temper faded. Lucy had been a loyal member of the order for quite some time, she would not be so foolish after all these years. However, Starrick hopes she continues to be so devoted to the Templars after he calls off their alliance. She had a similar fury as he did and he did not want to be the receiving end of it, not unless he had the Stroud.

**Only one could wear the Stroud.**


	2. A 'Partnership'

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> // Evie finally receives news of what Lucy has planned for her while Henry becomes rather concerned about the missing assassin //
> 
> “Like I have said before, what I think is no longer your concern.” 
> 
> [TW --- mentions of suicide towards the end of the chapter]

“Jacob!” a voice called out just as the Assassin was about to leap off the train in middle of the two carriages. Jacob immediately recognised the voice as his ally, Henry Green. _Just, great,_ he thought sarcastically to himself.

He did not hate Henry. The man had been very helpful to him and his sister and had been a great aid in getting them settled into London, which was far different than his old home of Crawley. It was much more gigantic in comparison and there was a large variety of different characters he would end up bumping into. He was starting to get used to all the different boroughs, thanks to Henry’s help in the matter. The other assassin also had a lot of different contacts in the city so it made things much easier and allowed Jacob to be more carefree in missions such as if he ended up breaking the rope launcher in his bracer, he had Bell to fix it for him. In addition, the Rooks may not have been even created if it was not for Henry. He helped the Frye twins to liberate Whitechapel from Kaylock. He was not like Evie and did not tell Jacob his idea of creating a gang  was foolish however Jacob supposed he did not openly agree with it either. Henry was the type of man to avoid any unnecessary confrontation.

That made him weak in Jacob’s eyes. He was used to confrontation, especially with his sister and their father always saw her as the stronger one. She was stubborn. She would not back down without a fight and unfortunately to get any attention from Ethan, Jacob had to adopt that nature too.

That was the other thing that annoyed him about Henry. He was not the same as Evie but he matched her serious attitude about the Creed. Jacob could tell this conversation would be no different from usual. It will probably be about something boring and something he does not care about like the piece of Eden.

God help him if Evie and Henry ever got married. He didn’t doubt that would end up being the case as he had seen the way Henry looked at Evie and how it seemed every time they were near one another, Henry would attempt to impress her and Evie would behave as if she was a giggling schoolgirl. It was so confusing to Jacob how they kept playing this game with each other. They obviously knew of their feelings towards each other. The way Evie had become so insistent on denying her crush and the way she blushed when discussing Henry and her’s visit to the Kenway mansion made it apparent something must have happened.

She was his twin. He knew her better than anyone.

“Greenie,” Jacob acknowledged the other man merrily, swinging his head from around the doorway of the carriage, where Agnes normally occupied and which one of its walls was coated in pictures of assassination targets the twins would soon come into contact with. Henry slowed his pace as he slowly walked over to where Jacob was stood. Jacob gave him his well known grin, raising an eyebrow at him.

There was small moment of pause until Henry finally found the right words to say and spoke, “Have you seen Evie lately?”

“Is there a reason you’re asking that?” Of course, it was about his sister. Part of him wished he had just pretended to not have heard of him and instead got off the train hideout before Henry reached him. It would have saved him from being roped into this awkward game of cat and mouse. “Well, whatever it is, the last time I saw her was yesterday, looking over some papers before I set off to do my own thing.”

“I am only worried about her. The last time I interacted with her was yesterday as well and all I know is that Evie was going to the Tower of London last night to retrieve the key back from Miss Thorne. I’ve checked every carriage for signs that she’s perhaps returned in the night but had another task to do so left hastily afterwards.”

“You worry too much, just like she does. My sister is fine. You’ve seen her fight. That Lucy Thorne doesn’t stand a chance.”

“Eh… yes, I might have been being a bit too paranoid. Sorry, Jacob.”

“No worries, Greenie. Now if you don’t mind, I have to take my leave now.” Henry could not say another word as the male Frye leapt out of the train like a cheetah going in for the kill. He sighed, trying to rid the worries that’s plagued his mind. There was no denying Evie was a capable assassin, her fighting skills were ones to marvel at but he also recalled when Evie returned from St Paul’s cathedral. She let Thorne escape with the key and neither of the women would have gone down without a fight. Perhaps he had just got too hopeful.

All that he could do now is wait for another short amount of time. He made preparations in case Evie came back while he wasn’t there, asking Agnes and Nigel to keep an eye out for her. If she didn’t, Henry would go and find out what happened to her, with or without the help of her brother.

 

                                                                                             ________________

 

It had been only a few minutes since she had finally probably awoken but it gave Evie enough time to examine the room she was in. It was small and dingy. The only source of light was the flickering flame from a lantern, which she noticed had a padlock on the door. There was a window but it had been bricked up, probably because the owners were previously avoiding the window tax that had existed. The room looked neglected despite the wallpaper and floorboards being in perfect shape. There was just something about it that made it seem like no one had been there in a long while. Evie could not blame them, she didn’t want to stay in here either.

What she had been sleeping on was just a mattress and a thin blanket. She assumed that this meant this was just a makeshift bed for her and it had been set up quickly in a short amount time with the lack of care it had.

She struggled to stand up properly, tripping over her own feet and digging her nails in the wall to try and keep her legs from collapsing. Her head was throbbing with pain. She found it hard to focus but mustered all her strength to start making her way to the door on the opposite wall. While she did this, she tried to clear the fog in her mind. She remembered talking with Henry back on the train, going to the Tower of London and get captured by the guards there. Everything beyond that point was still a haze, a vague fragment flashing up now and again like Lucy Thorne or a blinding pain she had felt before falling to the ground.

She reached the door and like her hope that her attempt to try to piece everything together would be successful, she gave up on the hope that the door could be her escape out of this compact prison. She had tried the brass lever door handle but no matter how much weight she put on it, the door would not open. She then felt around clothing, trying to find the lockpicks she kept stored in her pockets. Someone must have searched thoroughly through her clothing while she was unconscious because it was no longer there and Evie doubted she had dropped them somewhere by accident. It was likely the person who did this was the same person who locked her in this room.

However there was no reason to do so, at least not in her mind. She didn’t have any of her weapons so it was not like she could do any critical damage to anyone.

She stood there for quite a while, her mind starting to clear up while she thought of ways she could unlock the door without using her lockpicks. It was then that she suddenly heard the murmuring on the other side of the door. It was gradually getting closer and closer and Evie felt her heart beat start to quicken, unsure of what was awaiting her and also hearing a familiar sound of high heels thundering down on the floor at regular intervals.

Evie had only a short while to prepare herself as she stumbled back, poised and ready to defend herself despite having nothing but her fists. It sounded like there were numerous people as well so it would be a tough fight.

The door was gently opened from the outside and the first thing Evie saw was a lady wearing the famed red coat of the Blighters. As the door was opened further, the towering figure of Lucy Thorne came into view. Evie immediately froze in her tracks. There were several guards with her, probably to keep an eye on Evie in case she tried anything but they were unaware of how unnerved the Templar made the Assassin. She did not have the guts to try anything.

“Hello, Miss Frye,” the redhead greeted, stepping into the room gracefully, forcing Evie to subconsciously take a step backwards. Lucy could not help but grin at the sight of the assassin being so intimidated by her. It was usually the norm for her that people submitted easily to her therefore she never really cared about it. Although, this was an unique case as Lucy could not help but feel like the cat who got the cream whenever this happened. It was amusing to her. Perhaps because this was supposed to be her enemy and she had heard many tales of the younger woman. She was not all she had been described to be.

She had to remember not to get too close though. This girl may not have killed Pearl but she was responsible in a way. She could have stopped whoever did it and Lucy was going to make her pay for that mistake.

“Miss Thorne,” Evie responded nervously. She narrowed her eyes at the woman so she could at least try to get some upper hand over the woman, however small it may be.

“How is your head feeling?” It was an innocent enough question but the smile that came with it showed Evie that Lucy was trying to mock her. _So much for trying to intimidate her_ , Evie thought, disappointed. She could not give up so easily. If the Templar wanted to play games, so would she.

“Is it really wise to try and anger me?”

Lucy laughed at this and Evie felt a slight shiver up her spine at the sound. “I do not think you realise your predicament as of right now. You could strangle me or beat me up until I’m bloody however do you really think you have a chance? I have people here. Most of whom will fight you if you try anything and some whom are prepared to run for more help. You’ll be outnumbered. It’s always like you assassins to think you’re so above everything else.”

Evie grew annoyed at this. Above everything else? Wasn’t Lucy being a little hypocritical there, given that whenever she met anyone she would act like they were nothing but some pest to her? This woman was so frustrating to her. She hated her yet she was somewhat curious about her. She wanted to know more about her yet she also wanted to win against her. There was hate, of course however also something else. Something that Evie could not name. Instead she tried to push it to the back of her mind. It could wait.

“Are you afraid of me, Miss Thorne?” Evie knew she was treading on thin ice but it was almost like she was a child again. Some of her confidence had been regained spontaneously and she held an expression filled with mischief as she watched the other’s reaction. “You seem aware of what I’m capable and it seems you might be frightened of my abilities since you have brought so many guards to protect yourself. You see me as a threat, it is obvious.”

Evie thought she had won when Lucy started to frown, her eyes seemingly shining with anger but the flame in them started to die down once she started to show a smug leer. She took more steps towards Evie, glaring at her. Evie stayed still, partly because she wanted to stand her ground and then because she was intrigued about what Lucy would do exactly. The woman did seem to like the idea of violence.

Lucy halted, just at where their bodies were almost about to touch. The perfume she was wearing overwhelming Evie’s sense and not allowing her to think properly. The same burning feeling returning to her body. She pondered briefly what it would be like to lean up and press lips against the other’s nevertheless she repressed the bizarre notion.

“It is merely a precaution.”

It appeared an eternity that the two stood, staring at each other. Evie felt like her legs were about to cave in as her breathing became more and more limited. It was then that Thorne broke eye contact and turned around quickly and effortlessly. She started to walk away from Evie which caused her to slightly worry. Surely she would not be stuck in this room for even longer. Thorne seemed to sense her anxiety because she then ordered Evie to follow her. The brunette did not know where exactly Thorne was taking her. Nevertheless she was glad she was finally leaving that room.

The room had been one of many as the corridor was filled with many doors. The walls were covered in scarlet. At the end of the corridor, there was a large set of stairs but Evie had little time to look at anything of note since everyone kept walking at the same hurried pace, even the guards behind her.

 

The place Evie next ended up was in a carriage, the same one she had seen Lucy climb in and out of a few times. She sat on one side and Lucy sat on the other, occupied by two guards each. The velvet violet curtains were drawn so that Evie was unable to see the outside world. Instead she had to look towards Lucy, who looked like she had something she wanted to say.

“I have decided to give you the courtesy of an explanation,” she remarked.

“How generous,” Evie quipped back.

“I am going to ignore that and carry on with what I was about to say. The chances are you are wondering why you are alive. Starrick wondered that too as he wanted and still wants you dead.”

Evie raised a confused eyebrow. “And you don’t?”

“Like I have said before, what I think is no longer your concern.” The reference to what happened at the cathedral made Evie blush slightly. She had tried to forget about it but it seemed fate was not the type to be merciful. “What is your concern, however, is what you are being kept alive for. Simply our goals align. We are both trying to find the Shroud therefore-”

“You think we should work together,” Evie interrupted, earning a glare off Thorne.

“Yes, that is close to what I was about to say.”

She felt like laughing at this. Her and Lucy working together? They were rivals, or at least they were meant to be. Evie could imagine the bickering that would ensue shortly after if she did agree however she realised something. “Am I right in assuming I have no choice in this?”

“Yes, you are correct. I know you would not agree if I did give you that privilege.”

“You are quick to assume things.”

“Are you Assassins not the same? You assume the bad of us when we are only doing what you are too afraid to, all for the sake of helping humanity to progress. We have the potential to become something much more than what we are now. I don’t see why that is so frowned upon.”  

Evie knew what she was expected to say. She knew she should argue with the woman further. She had been taught even since a young age that the Templars were in the wrong. That most of them were just tyrants, seeking nothing but power however the assassins knew that nothing was true, even that. Now her perception had been altered. How Thorne justified what they did seemed somewhat reasonable to her. There was no doubt that Starrick was power hungry and needed to be stopped immediately. Although, perhaps Thorne was different. Evie had always thought the woman was selfish yet this showed a different side to her. She cared not only for herself but for the entire human race and believed what she was doing was right.

Their alliance may be less filled with conflict if she continued to comprehend how Lucy’s mind worked but there was one thing that she still needed an answer to. “This ‘partnership’ will obviously be terminated at some point. What happens then?”

“We will have to see.”

 

The room that Evie would now be staying in was slightly better than the other room which was similar to a cupboard compared to this. It was a basement and when she had first heard about it, she had expected something worse. The place looked like an attempt at creating a small library as it was filled with bookshelves with an endless amount of books. The person who created this mini study must have been quite the bibliophile, something they would share in common with Evie. In one of the spaces not supplied with books and manuscripts was a bed. Unlike the bed she had to use earlier, the mattress was actually quite comfy and was placed on a wooden bed frame. She even had a pillow now. It was not arranged as rushed either.

Despite the good conditions of her new room, Evie was uneasy. What Lucy had said earlier in the carriage perplexed her. She could have been intentionally vague in order to keep Evie on edge, just so she could revel in the fact she had managed to scare her. Nevertheless, that wasn’t enough of an answer for her. Lucy obviously wanted her dead so why not be honest about it? It could be as she thought and she was purposely making Evie troubled or perhaps Thorne did not actually know herself.

No, Thorne always had the answers such as how she had guided Evie in here and seemed to have planned every single part of her plan like the bed in the basement, making sure there was no exits for her and keeping guards around still, patrolling different areas of the building.

She had even ensured that she would not face any danger. All she told Evie is that she would be ‘nearby’, whether or not that meant in the building or somewhere else outside, she was not sure though that was probably Lucy’s goal.

Evie laid down on the bed, crossing her legs and resting her arms behind her head and then sighing. All this because she was too impatient to explore her options. If she had just waited and planned everything out like usual, she would not have to be so anxious about what would happen to her. She had no choice however right now. The Templars have managed to pin her in a corner and all she can do is follow orders, despite not believing in their cause.

A new dread rose and Evie got even more angry at herself.

It was not just herself in danger. What about everyone else? They would soon realise she was missing and of course Thorne was the prime suspect. Jacob and Henry could track her down but the Templar was cautious, prepared for everything. She most likely already set a trap for them.

Even though they agreed quite a lot of the time ever since they arrived in London, Evie loved her brother. She would hate to see him seriously injured or...killed because of her actions. And Henry, he was dear to Evie. He was someone she got on well with and she saw as a good friend of hers. She did not want to see the same thing happen to him.

While Evie worried about her allies, she heard a sudden click in the lock of the door to the basement. One of the guards walked in, holding some material and set it down on the floor after they stepped down the few oak steps leading down to Evie’s level. She was about to go investigate what it was until another guard walked in, carrying a tray and set it down on the same spot.

“Would some privacy be alright?” Evie asked, when she had picked up the bowl of soup and cup of tea and the two still stood there. The hot food and drink was perfect since the weather was starting to get slightly colder as it was now Autumn however she would enjoy it more if she wasn’t being watched by a pair of hawks.

“We have orders to keep an eye on you until you are finished,” one of them replied calmly.

Evie had an idea why they would not leave her alone. If she broke the ceramic of the cup or bowl, she could have a weapon. Despite this, it was a weird way to approach this. They did not need someone to watch her. They would have noticed the broken ceramic and searched her immediately. In addition, the only person who would matter if Evie killed them was Lucy and she never seemed to be without guards now. Though she could probably take on Evie on her own too. Then it dawned on her.

It might not be Lucy or her guards that they were worried about, instead it could be Evie herself. She could have plenty of reason to commit suicide right now. She could be the type of person who would rather face death than betray what they hold dear to them but she was not. She was not going to make the same mistake as last time. She would explore her opportunities. The guards had nothing to worry about because she was not willing to give up just yet.

 

She undid her braids, her long chocolate brown locks falling downwards. She unbuttoned her coat and then removed her shirt and trousers. She picked up the silky material she had been given previously and tried it on. There was no mirror to see what the nightgown looked like on her but Evie could feel it was a little too long on her since she was shorter than whoever this belonged to.

A strange thought passed her mind. Thorne was taller than Evie, even without heels and the style seemed to match. She did seem to wear a lot of black.

It should not have concerned her as much as it did although she could not help but play with the idea that this belonged to the other woman. It should not have been weird that she was borrowing someone else’s clothing yet this was much different. This belonged to the same woman she was supposed to hate. This was the same woman she seemed to get butterflies in her stomach for. This was the same woman she had imagined kissing earlier on. It was the same woman she felt a longing feeling for since she had not seen her since she had been escorted to her new ‘home’. For no reason, she seemed to want to see her.

She shook it off. No way was it Thorne’s. Why would she give Evie anything like that? She would not want to share her possessions with an Assassin.

However when she finally laid down in the bed with the duvet wrapped around her, she caught a familiar scent. It was a perfume of some sorts. The only thing Evie could compare it to was the smell of sweet roses, like how Thorne had smelt of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I feel like this chapter is so gay aha but I suppose it's only going to get gayer from now on. I love exploring the personalities of these two and how they interact with each other. I'm so excited for when I get to write the next chapters as I have a whole plan for what I want to happen. 
> 
> Also, can I mention that this is probably the fastest upload I've ever done of adding another chapter to one of my fics? Like I'm kinda addicted to writing this now. It gives me something to do while it's the summer. 
> 
> I mentioned my tumblr back in the previous chapter but here it is again ~ @lawfulvictorianx


	3. Unbreaking the Bank

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> // Tensions arise between Jacob and Henry while Lucy and Evie try to find some leads on the Shroud //
> 
> “I need your help with something too.”

The next morning, there was little for Evie to do. Usually she would occupy her time researching more about the Shroud or doing little jobs for the associates she had met during her time spent  in London. She only ever allowed herself a brief period of relaxing as she was much happier when her mind was being kept busy.

However, when she had woken up, she could not keep her mind working non stop since she did not have the opportunity to take part in her usual daily routine so she focused on the one thing that had caught her eye since she had first entered the basement: the books. She began to scan the shelves but as she did, she was distracted by the sound of muffled voices. She moved towards the door, sitting down beside it and pressing her ear against the door.

The first few voices she heard were unclear, a mixture of male and female and speaking in hushed tones. She did not pay much attention until she heard a very familiar one which gave her goosebumps. Thorne, unlike the others, was not attempting to whisper and spoke in her normal authoritative voice. It was still unclear because of the barrier between them but she caught a few mentions of words such as ‘Starrick’ and ‘economy’. It did not sound that important especially how after that, no one said a word and it seemed they had resumed doing whatever it was they were absorbed in before the conversation had started.

After she heard the high heels retreat back, Evie also lost interest and returned to the bookshelves.

There was various types of books that she skimmed through but the ones that drew her attention were the ones which gave her a clue as to who was the bookworm was. She had been surprised at first when she read one of the books as it featured much more of the occult and she knew Thorne was an expert in that. Her mind wandered to how she would have even discovered these books. She was not sure that even George or her father had anything like this.

“It suits you well,” she heard the abrupt voice of Lucy Thorne behind her and turned around quickly to face her. She was about to ask the woman what suited her when she noticed the woman’s gaze alternating up and down her body with a smug smile. Evie’s freckles were soon hidden by her crimson red blush. She put away the book she was reading clusimily and looked back at the templar, crossing her arms in an attempt to cover up some of her skin.

Unlike Evie, Lucy was already dressed in her usual attire and looked flawless as usual. Although today there weren’t any guards beside her. She obviously did not forget so what was going on?

The Templar’s grin grew larger when she watched the other’s reaction and she soon continued, “What? No witty comeback?”

Evie could see that Thorne was trying to challenge her in some way, she just did not understand the purpose. She did not know what the woman was really expecting from her. Was she trying to make her angry to have an excuse to get rid of her? No, she appeared to want Evie for her search therefore it would not make sense. Although Evie could not be trusted and she was responsible for the disaster at Brewster’s laboratory.

Her frustration was growing more and more because of these encounters with Thorne. Everything about her seemed far too complex for Evie to understand.

She was tempted to ask her a certain question but thought better of it and instead said, “I would have changed but I was unaware that you had planned to enter unannounced.”

“Am I not allowed to enter a room in _my_ house?” Lucy asked mockingly. Evie was slightly surprised despite the evidence she had gathered that had pointed to Thorne owning the building or at the very least the makeshift library. “We have business to attend to.”

Throne now wore a more serious expression, already moving back towards the door and then stopping right at the start of the small set of steps, glancing over her shoulder at Evie. The Assassin took the hint and followed the woman.

 

Before they left to leave for whatever destination Thorne was dragging her to, they stopped in what seemed to be the living room and she had a set of clothing flung at her from the redhead with a direct command to get changed. Evie again ended up complaining about the lack of privacy and Lucy ended up having to turn her back on her, focusing instead on less interesting things like what was happening behind the curtains of the window she faced. As she watched her guards get her carriage ready for departure, she noticed that they seemed calmer than they had been earlier. She felt relief at the sight. She did not want to hear any more of that insignificant blather.

“This really is not my style, I’m afraid,” Evie muttered, taking off the nightgown and placing it on the table. Thorne scoffed, rolling her eyes and resisting the slight desire to respond back with a more flirtatious remark like she would have done in her earlier years. All she had to do was make the woman trust her, not try and get her in her bed.

Evie informed Lucy when she was done changing and the pair set off.

 

The destination she was brought to gave the brunette a strong sense of nostalgia as she looked at the miniature golden ship stood on top of the entrance, while exiting the carriage behind a guard. It hadn’t gone unnoticed by Evie the amount of guards they had this time.

It also hadn’t gone unnoticed that Thorne seemed to be on edge when the two were alone. She was wonderful at keeping a straight face and maintaining that arrogant and bossy tone of hers although she could not hide how when she had her back to Evie, she was on the defensive, hands close to where her dagger would be and eyes wary of every movement the Assassin made. Some part of her felt hurt that she did not trust her yet but that was stupid. Why would she care about what Thorne thought of her? All that mattered right now was getting back home and protecting the others.

And going along with this alliance with the woman was the only way to do so.

The mansion had a few more guards than last time, possibly in case there were any more unwelcome visitors. She had seen some of them give her a confused glance while following the other around the mansion, which was met with an intimidating stare from Thorne and this quickly made them stop.

It was also still littered with treasures. At this moment in time, Evie wanted nothing more but to look at these more closely but like the last occasion, she could not explore her curiosity due to a more pressing matter. She soon found out what that pressing matter was when Thorne unlocked one of the doors and stepped inside. The guards from the carriage waiting by the doorway, observing Evie.

It was a study of some kind with many bookshelves, which Evie had become too accustomed to seeing now, and a desk. It seemed that had not been in use for some time as there was not a single thing on it except just a pen. That changed rather suddenly when the other woman approached a very familiar looking chest and grabbed a handful of documents, which she then scattered all over the mahogany surface. She then took a seat, beckoning Evie over.

“Do you see anything of interest here that relates to the Shroud?” Lucy questioned, gesturing to the papers.

Evie moved closer to get a better look. She made certain not to get too close to Lucy however, and shuffled through the papers. She activated her eagle vision at some points. This only helped a little bit as there was some information hidden.

“If by ‘anything of interest’, you mean places both of us have already investigated like-” Evie responded but was interrupted before finishing.

“The Tower of London?”

She nodded. “Yes, that’s all there is.”

Thorne let out a frustrated sigh, gathering the documents back up hastily and putting them back where they had originally came from.  “I...We will have to find something new then. Before we do so, I have something I want your help with. I want to know how you got into that secret room and-”

It was then Evie’s turn to interrupt as she placed down the extract she had ripped out of the newspaper lying in the living room. “I need your help with something too.”  


                                                                                                       __________________  


 

_Jacob crept into the room. Before he stood back up, he observed his surroundings and was relieved when there was no signs of any more guards. He had managed to sneak through them all, only assassinating one or two that were in his way. Usually his attempt at a stealthy approach hardly ever worked and he always had to use the help of his Rooks however this time was different._

_He briefly thought of his sister. She might be proud of him if he ever told her, perhaps shocked. Jacob knew that would not be the case however. Despite all he did, Evie would never think he was a successful assassin. She’d find flaws somehow and annoy him about it until it got to the usual point where he had enough and left the train to go to a pub or be with the Rooks._

_Jacob then saw his chance. There were various framed artworks in the room, quite tall and large. He quickly hid behind one of the front ones as he heard footsteps approaching. It was a short wait and he soon saw the looming shadow of a figure. When he heard the voice, he knew he had the right man. He launched forward, destroying the painting with his kukri and assassinating the governor with his hidden blade. The Templar’s eyes widened with horror as blood spurted out from his wound like a fountain. He collapsed on the floor, still choking on his own blood. Jacob pulled out his handkerchief and stained the white material with red._

 

“I thought I had made it clear not to kill him, Jacob,” Abberline hissed. At the same time, Henry was sat down on the sofa, flipping through the newspaper handed over to him by the sergeant earlier on while Jacob was sat down next to him, messing about with his gauntlet and not meeting Abberline’s eyes. “Now, no one trusts the bank, or England's currency. There will be inflation. Riots. Manufacturing will jump to America for the cheap labor. In short, Britain is done for.”

Jacob finally looked up. “You act like this is all my fault. I’m not the one you should be chasing though. It’s the bloody person who actually stole the printing plates.”

The police sergeant was a little taken back by the Frye’s attitude but Henry decided to say something for him instead. “He’s not saying that it’s entirely your fault but Evie’s right, you’re too reckless. You didn’t have to kill him. Sometimes there is other ways to solve problems.”

“Evie?” Jacob stood up, chuckling and shaking his head. “I knew you would take her side but it’s strange that you mention her at a time like this.”

Abberline could only watch at this moment. There always seemed to be tension between him and Evie but he had never actually witnessed this side of him. Jacob was prone to joking around and not taking everything as seriously as he should however he never thought of him as having such a temper.

When both of the other men stayed silent, Jacob continued on, “You were the one who was so worried about her yet all you have done since she’s gone missing is ask around about her. Do you really think all she’s been doing is roaming about London?”

“And you were the one who thought I was worrying too much,” Henry responded. This took Jacob off guard. Henry hardly ever got angry. “I am trying my best to find Evie, you know I am however if you have any better ideas, then enlighten me, Jacob.”

“I do, in fact but I have found about a certain fellow called ‘B’ and I would like to make some progress on that first. It’ll let me think over my plan too so I will talk to you later, Greenie.” With that, Jacob left the train once again, leaving Henry annoyed and Abberline confused.

“Perhaps you will help me instead, Mr Green?” Abberline inquired hopefully.

“Of course.”

                                                                                                               ________________

  


Evie tried to focus on the road, listening to Thorne’s directions and not at all thinking about how pleasant her voice was to her. She felt a little closer to the woman, despite knowing it was wrong. When she had finally decided to go along with Evie’s idea, she felt a tinge of happiness and excitement although she was not convinced that the woman fully trusted her yet. It was a weird feeling and she did not know what else to do with it except repress it.

She was anxious being sat this close to her too. There was some contact such as Thorne would rotate the map and end up brushing her arm against Evie’s and this ended up creating a warm tingly sensation. Evie was relieved that Lucy was too busy absorbed in reading out the directions instead of how weird she was acting.

Luckily, in a short while she would have something else to worry about. Nevertheless, she could not stop thinking back to what happened.

“Was it my deal that convinced you?” she questioned out of genuine curiosity. She wanted to understand Thorne and she saw this as an opportunity to find out more.

“Of course not. I am doing this for the order not your pitiful attempt to bargain with me.” Lucy snapped, taking what Evie said as teasing. “If they manage to get away with this, then everything will fall. The world basically relies on the banks and if they cannot provide, there is going to be a lot of panic and hysteria. We need a stable economy if we really want to change anything.”

Evie nodded, glancing at Lucy for a moment before looking back on the road. “I thought you would use this whole disaster to your advantage instead.”

“What do you mean by that?”

If Evie did not know any better, she would have worried for her life by the way Thorne glared at her. She had already annoyed her enough back at the mansion where at first she had refused to help the Assassin and would rather someone else take care of the mess at the bank since she only cared about finding the Shroud but Evie had pressed on, determined to change her mind. The Templar had started to get frustrated by the whole argument and so had Evie therefore they had raised their voices at each other a few times. She knew Lucy was dangerous however at that point, all she wanted was to persuade her by any means necessary.

After she had tried to make a deal about the secret room and tried to appeal to what she thought Lucy believed in, they had both calmed down. Somehow Thorne had managed to change her original opinion, perhaps due to what Evie had said to her.

She had then gone along with what Evie had requested: no guards were present, just the two of them.

“Well, I thought maybe the Order would want this. The people would no longer trust the banks and would then turn to Starrick.”

Thorne appeared to think over this for a moment. “No, that would be a stupid idea. It would be too much of a gamble and I highly doubt Starrick would risk the country losing everything when instead we could just build on top of what it already has.”

Evie had got what she wanted. She had managed to learn that Lucy was rather logical in her thinking, much like herself. The Templar looked at everything that could go wrong or right and thought of how it would affect the outcome. She knew how to read people too or perhaps that was just because she knew Starrick so she knew what to expect.

That reminded her of how Thorne seemed to care about Pearl’s death. She had been meaning to ask more about but knew this was not the right time. She felt a bit of regret and guilt when she thought back to the Tower of London and how she had almost willingly thrown Jacob under the bus for what he did. She was always blaming him for everything.

“We’re here,” Thorne stated as she pointed at the black cross that had been marked by the Blighter they had talked to earlier.

Evie stopped the carriage, jumping off and walking over to the other side of the carriage and holding out her hand to Thorne. “Do you have a weapon I can borrow?”

Thorne hopped down from the carriage too, pulling out her dagger and moving towards the building already.

“Wait!” Evie muttered, grabbing hold of the other woman and pulling her back. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Did you think I would let you in there on your own with a weapon? Do not take me for an idiot, Miss Frye. I know that would allow you an opportunity to escape therefore I am keeping an eye on you and I will be the one eliminating the guards.” Lucy shook off Evie’s arm but that did not stop the younger woman’s persistence.

She followed Lucy, both of them hiding behind a fence when they finally spotted a guard. “These are Blighters. They’re your own people.”

“They stole the bank’s printing plates, knowing full well that it would crush the economy. It is not like they don’t deserve this and they’re not my people. Roth and the other leaders are in charge of them and I do not think for a second that any of them would care about a few Blighters being murdered. It’s a normal occurrence since your gang has started roaming the streets.”

“You said before that you want basically the best for humanity.”

“They knew what they were getting themselves into,” Lucy hissed, moving forwards and slicing one of the guard’s throats and then stabbing the other as he was about to alarm others. Evie watched and then followed close behind as Thorne walked into the building.

 

Both were reasonably content when they left the bank. They had managed to return the printing plates as planned and it seemed to be perfectly discreet therefore neither Starrick or Henry and Jacob would be alerted. Thorne would not have to deal with any backlash, just as Evie had promised her.

Thorne then directed her to where she had been staying. Evie had not gotten to see the outside of it much until now. It was located in the City of London and was a rather quaint old house but still looked at the same time expensive. She did not expect anything less from Thorne however.

She could tell the woman had lived a much more luxurious life than Evie’s, back in Crawley. Evie had grown up looking up to her father and getting into petty arguments with her twin. She always knew she wanted to be an Assassin whereas Lucy probably grew up on her own, possibly why she had such a bossy attitude towards others. She was used to getting what she wanted.

When she thought about it though, Thorne was different from others. She was unmarried, which was strange for someone of her class and it appeared that she had dedicated her whole life to her research and The Order. She was not a coward either. She said what she thought. That was something Evie found herself admiring.

That’s when something struck Evie. She admired a lot about Thorne, despite how much she was supposed to hate about the woman. Her stubbornness, arrogance, selfishness and ruthlessness were all things that would drive others away however Evie was now starting to understand why she was like that. She saw the more positive traits too, ones that were hidden from sight. Thorne was brave, intelligent and diligent. She had thought perhaps it was just because she wanted those traits herself but she now knew it could be something entirely different.

When the carriage stopped outside of the house, she should have done nothing and returned to the basement and her and Thorne would part ways temporarily once again but what she should have done and what she did were not the same.

She did not know if it was because of the adrenaline rush from being out after being held inside for so long when she was used to be outside all the time or what but Evie felt an overwhelming heat inside her. That is when she quickly grabbed onto Thorne’s shoulders and leaned forwards. Their lips met and she closed her eyes, scared of the other’s reaction. A few seconds went by until she felt a hand grip onto her waist and she deepened the kiss, trying to savour every moment until she pulled away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say it would only get gayer. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments. I really do appreciate them, especially since this is my first story I've made in a while. The update was later this week because I'm unsure when I should set the deadline for new chapters but oh well, I'll sort it out.


	4. Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> // Jacob puts his plan into action. Both Evie and Lucy deal with their feelings towards each other, although in very different ways //
> 
> "I don't think this is the best approach."
> 
> [references to mourning and alcohol]

_ “Pearl?” _

_ She recognised quickly the woman’s signature mauve gown and tried calling out for her. It seemed hopeless as the woman did not make any attempt to turn around and face her, which was rather out of character.  _

_ Despite Lucy’s first skepticism when Starrick had introduced the two, she had trusted Pearl. It had taken a while but she had opened to her. The woman knew everything about her and was always there for Lucy whenever she needed guidance or reassurance. She never turned her back on her. _

_ However, no matter how loud she cried out for the woman, Pearl continued ignoring her, more focused on whatever it was that was in front of her. Lucy attempted to walk over to her but with every step it felt like she was not making any progress. Although, what was once a black abyss was now starting to form into something familiar. The room was now decorated with several pieces of furniture and ornaments and was rather small and cramped. She could not see still what Pearl was looking at but when she finally started to be able to actually move, it suddenly turned dark once again. _

_ She turned around in every direction possible, desperate to find her friend until she spotted something on the ground a few metres away. When she bent down to get a closer look, she identified it as blood but had no time to try and find the source as she felt a sharp pain at the nape of her neck. She got a brief image of her own blood dripping down until the darkness spread and she could no longer see anything, not even her own gloved hands. _

The nightmare still replayed over and over in her head as she stood in Starrick’s study, trying her best to make it seem like nothing was bothering her when really, lots of things were. 

“I have heard a rumour that you were the one who helped get the missing printing plates back,” Starrick stated, absentmindedly. Lucy tensed up, realising that their plan might not helped as well as they had initially thought and unsure of how Starrick would react to the news. Starrick may have possibly noticed this when he looked over at her and did not say anything about it but did narrow his eyes at her. “With a certain Evie Frye.”

Lucy mentally kicked herself. Why on earth did she trust the Assassin? She had actually believed her when she said no one would know except the two of them. The only thing she was certain of was that she would not make the same mistake again, especially since she was now keeping her distance from the other woman. 

Her biggest mistake had been the kiss. It wasn’t like she was the one who started it but she had reciprocated. It was like she was going back in time and her younger self was returning. The one who was far too naive, curious and rebellious. 

She had to be more careful from now on. 

Pearl had mentioned idly Jacob Frye a few times to Lucy. She always changed topics immediately afterwards and Thorne never pressed on about it despite wanting to as she was worried about her friend. She had believed Pearl was capable of handling the Assassin herself. 

Now she could end up suffering the same fate if she too underestimated the Frye twins. 

“I am only using her abilities. I needed to earn her trust and that was the perfect opportunity to do so,” she explained. 

“She will not be a problem then?”

Lucy shook her head. “She’s being held somewhere safe and discreet. I have my guards keeping an eye on her at all times.” It was only a small lie. She didn’t want Starrick to think she was incompetent because once or twice she had let the Assassin go unwatched, only to test what would happen and if she could be trusted. 

“And you will do what you need to for the Order when the time comes?”

She knew what he meant. The question had been annoying her for quite some time; would she kill Evie? When the Assassin was not around, Lucy knew her answer right away but when she was, it was different. She was not sure if she could do it or rather if she even wanted to. But, thinking of Pearl and the Order, she knew what was the right thing to do. 

“Of course. The Frye twins are just nothing but small annoyances that need to eliminated before they become bigger obstacles for us and I shall be the executioner.”

Evie was not the only one being tested. It didn’t miss Starrick how much slower her reply had been compared to last time but only one thing mattered to him right now and that was the Shroud. “Any progress?”

“I had Miss Frye look at the rest of the documents.”

“Did she find anything new that could assist us?”

“Unfortunately, no. However, I will find something else, I am sure.”

“I don’t doubt that but nevertheless good luck.”

“Thank you, Crawford.”

 

Lucy climbed out of her carriage, heading for the door of the house and still clutching the folded piece of paper. She waited until she was in the privacy of her own room to look at it as she did not want anyone else to spot what it said. She didn’t need any more news of her actions being brought to Starrick.

The note had been given to her by one of the Blightlers monitoring the building, just as she was about to leave after her conversation with Starrick. The man had been shaking slightly as he held it out to her but it seemed more than just being intimidated since he looked guilty, like he had done something wrong. It gave Thorne the idea of who exactly the writer was. 

She unfolded the letter in a rush, scanning over the messy yet clear writing.

_ Miss Thorne, _

_ If you are still searching for the Shroud, I have some information. Meet me here.  _

Below, an address of a street were written  with a side note that the meeting would be in an alleyway. It sounded sketchy. Throne was not an idiot. She could sense there was something wrong and she should not trust this stranger but if it was who she thought it was, she wasn’t going to miss her chance. She never thought getting revenge on Pearl’s killer could be this easy. She quickly shoved the letter into her pockets and headed for the door but just before, there was a loud knock. The voice spoke nervously on the other side, “Miss Thorne?”

“What do you want?” she growled in annoyance, walking towards the door and opening it so she could see the guard face to face. The guard shifted their gaze frantically, not wanting to be the one to disturb Thorne, especially when she seemed so angry by them doing so. She noticed this and it annoyed her further. “Well?”

“Sorry. It’s just that Evie Frye woman keeps asking for you.”

“I am sure you are capable of ignoring her.” She pushed past the woman, in an attempt to suddenly end the conversation but they followed her down the staircase. 

“We are but she’s been bloody determined to get our attention. That type of thing is hard enough to ignore and I know you’re busy and all. It would help though if you just spoke to her, even if it’s only for a few seconds.” The woman visibly winced, scared she’d angered the woman more by being so upfront and commanding so much from her. She was in no position to make demands. 

“Fine,” Lucy said after a moment. “After this, you will have to sort her out yourself.”

She would have preferred to carry on ignoring the woman and to just go to the meeting place already. At first, she had been playing with the woman, curious about her reactions and it kept her entertained. Her work was mostly done in solitude. There were only brief periods where she could socialise and that was usually when she met with Pearl.

It was being around Evie that made her realise how touch starved she really was. 

As she reached the basement door, there were one or two guards lingering about and she heard Evie knocking on the door loudly and calling out for attention, specifically asking to speak with Thorne. She told the guards to be prepared in case anything happened and then opened the door and Evie’s look of anger switched into one of surprise. 

“What do you want?” Lucy hissed. She was already stressed enough as it was and Evie was gradually becoming more and more of a problem. 

Evie was truthfully taken back by this. She noticed right away that the Templar was behaving differently towards her and she felt she knew who exactly was to blame for that. “You said we would work together.”

“I did and what of it?” 

“You have not spoke to me in days. I thought you wanted my help.” The shock wore off and the anger started rising once again. “Or is the reason you are talking to me now is because you are going to get rid of me?”

Thorne laughed. “No. I just simply do not require your assistance right now. If I wanted you dead, I would have done it much sooner than today. Now, farewell, Miss Frye.”

Evie wanted to say more. It was not exactly the fact that Lucy was being a lone wolf that annoyed her and that is what upset her even more. It was only after the kiss that she had realised she  _ liked _ Thorne. And now, that had ruined everything. 

Her father was someone she respected and believed in. His words were very much like the bible to her however the other day, she had betrayed her beliefs. She let her feelings cloud her judgement. She was putting everything at stake by having feelings for a Templar and that included her family as well as the creed.

And it did not even do anything apart from create problems. Thorne had started ignoring her ever since that day therefore she could tell what the issue was. After the kiss, Lucy had frozen in place, blushing slightly which was unusual. She did not say anything and just took Evie back to the basement. Evie thought the two of them had just started to get along but now Throne was a mystery once again. 

As Thorne shut the door, Evie had an idea of what she could do to fix this.    
  


                                                                                                ___________________

 

“I don’t think this is the best approach,” Henry remarked. 

Jacob had only been back for a couple of hours, spending most of that time having a short nap. The past few days had been quite hectic for him. Trying to locate ‘B’ and protecting the Disraelis was proving to be very hard work, especially when he could have been responsible for something happening to the prime minister's wife. Perhaps if her dog had not have been so yappy, there would have been no chance of it happening.

He felt a slight pang of guilt about not helping Abberline. He was a little too high strung that day however he had wanted to help his ally, it was just that he had more things to do instead that were more important to him. 

Luckily, it had all been mysteriously fixed, according to Henry. The printing plates were suddenly back at the bank. Maybe the guards at the bank were not looking hard enough or maybe it was taken back. That was Henry’s plan; to go investigate if the plates had actually been stolen by someone and who that someone was but someone had already beaten him to it the evening before.  This took a little of pressure off Jacob. At least he wasn’t a suspect anymore and it allowed him to think of the details of his idea.

“What other approach is there exactly?” Jacob asked. Henry gave no reply, partly because he didn’t want another fight to start. “We could be a wuss, yes but that’s not going to find Evie.”

Henry took a deep breath in. “We work in the shadows. What you’re proposing might cause some notoriety.”

“I think I’m well known as it is, Greenie. The Rooks are almost everywhere in London. If Starrick decides to strike back forcefully, the Blighters will be outnumbered and all of London will start to think of him as a thug. They’ll turn against him and the Templars will have no control over the city. See, I’ve actually thought this through!” Jacob grinned almost in a childish manner.

“And they will not see you the same? You could risk them turning against us too.”

Jacob frowned. “You claim that I’m too ‘reckless’ but I have tried to look every detail of this. I’m prepared for the consequences and now you’re telling me I’ve done wrong for doing what everyone wanted of me. You know what? Nevermind. I’ll do this on my own if I have to.”

Henry followed as Jacob stepped off the train and into the station. “That is far too dangerous to accomplish on your own.”

“Hope you can keep up, Greenie!”

                                                                                                    ______________

 

Lucy watched while she drove the carriage the people rushing into their homes, protecting themselves from the darkening clouds up ahead. It was very likely this meant there would soon be either rain or perhaps a storm. Although Thorne did not think she would have to be out here so long to witness whatever outcomes it was, depending if this was really the person she thought it was who had written the letter.

She had decided to go alone, which would seem like a foolish decision to some but when she thought it over, it seemed a safe option. 

If Jacob Frye’s skills in combat were anything like his sister’s, then him and Lucy at least matched each other therefore the chances of her being killed by him were unlikely. She was told he was not that bright either. That meant she could easily pull some tricks to help her win too.

Although, he was the possibly the one who killed Pearl so she could not rule out there was a slight bit of danger but unlike Pearl, she knew how to fight. She knew how to look out for herself without having to use bribery or blackmail. Lucy was positive she would be able to kill the man. 

She could finally make up for not warning her friend sooner and then she would not have to feel so guilty about her death. However, that was rather idealistic of her to think. Realistically speaking, she knew it would not get rid of all the blame but it helped to think so.

She pulled back the reins, stopping the horse and then she dropped down from the carriage and made her way towards the opening to the alley. The walls concealed Lucy as she moved slowly next to them with her dagger unsheathed. She looked forward, glancing around for any signs of a figure. There was nothing; just washing lines, rubbish and a cart full of hay. 

Suddenly she heard footsteps to her left and whirled around to see three figures standing nearby. Thorne knew right away they were definitely not the ones she was looking for as they were only children and as soon as they saw her, they ran away, shouting to each other. Lucy was left alone again. She felt stupid for how her heart had stopped for a moment.

Her heart then froze again when there was movement in the hay and a figure leaped out, right away lunging for Thorne with a weapon. Thorne reacted just in time as she swung her own weapon at her attacker. It did not meet any flesh but a hat toppled onto the concrete. She looked up and smirked when she saw who it was she was dealing with.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr Frye,” she said, dodging his attacks. The more successful she was, the more it seemed to annoy him as his attacks started becoming more and more frequent after every hit. 

Lucy was enjoying being on what seemed to be the winning side so far until Jacob managed to counter one of her attacks, slicing her arm in the process. She could feel the sticky texture of blood start to ooze out but it was not too much. The cut had only been deep enough to cut through some layers of her clothing and leave a graze on her skin. The pain was not the worst she had experienced. 

It had given Jacob a window of opportunity however. He kicked Thorne in the stomach, making her stumble backwards into the brick wall and drop her dagger. 

“Where’s my sister?” he growled. He moved closer to Lucy and dragged her back up by her collar. She glared at him. This only infuriated him more. “I will repeat myself. Where is m-”

Thorne kicked him in the shin, making him lose his balance and then delivered a punch to the side of his face. This left him in a daze and this meant that she was now free from his grip and could now run towards where her blade was. She swiped it up, spinning around to face the Assassin whose right cheek was starting to turn bright red and now had some blood dripping from one of his nostrils. 

Before he could attack her again, Thorne dropped a smoke bomb and it was now her turn to lunge at him. 

The dagger was few centimetres above him. She tried driving it downwards but was stopped as someone was gripping onto her wrist, preventing her from doing so. The person pulled the arm away and twisted it until Thorne lost her grip on the dagger. The smoke started to disappear and her first instinct was to run. She looked back only once to see Jacob Frye trying to follow her while another familiar man held him back. 

There was a single gunshot just as the carriage started to move and that fueled her determination to escape even more. 

 

Finally at home, seeing worried and nervous glances from her guards, Thorne made her way over to her kitchen. She looked at her reflection in the small circular mirror, trying to reorganise the loose red strands that had found their way of her bun. She took off some of her top clothing until only her shirt was left on. She rolled up her left sleeve, then moved to the cupboard to grab some cloth and wrapped it around where she had been cut. It had stopped bleeding now but she did not want to risk the wound getting infected, despite how small it was.

However, Thorne wished the fight had gone differently. Her choice to run was pathetic in her eyes. The chance was in front of her. She could have killed Jacob and avenged Pearl but she had been too selfish and cowardly. Her life did not matter that much. She could have sacrificed it in order to kill Jacob. 

But there was her work as well. She had something still to fight for, despite her failure. 

Lucy sighed and grabbed out from another cupboard a glass and a bottle of wine she had been saving. She did not care who saw her do this as she made her way upstairs. She needed something to relax her and she knew how to not get too drunk, at least not noticeably.

“Ma’am,” a voice called out to her. A guard held out a envelope to her and she hoped this was actually some legitimate news about the Shroud for her, not a trick to carry out an attempt on her life. She took the letter and nodded curtly to the man before going into her room and locking the door.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments. I'm glad people are enjoying my fic!
> 
> Also, you may have been excited that these two kissed but I'm afraid I'm a torturer and you may have to wait a little longer for something more to happen. This is a slow burn fic after all.


	5. A Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> // Evie attempts to sort things out with Thorne however someone else gets in the way //
> 
> "What else do you want?”

“Oi! Wake up!”

What Evie woke up to was far more different than what she had expected. She had grown accustomed to the eerie silence and solitude that was now always present in the morning. 

The most recent time she had interacted with another person was yesterday afternoon, a short while after Thorne had briefly talked to her. 

Evie had managed to annoy the guards enough to convince them to allow her to have a bath. It felt refreshing but she had only a short amount of time due to everyone else’s constant paranoia. Someone was with her while she was washing, possibly in case she tried to drown herself, while the others were keeping a lookout from the window outside. After hearing numerous nervous mentions of Lucy, Evie figured out that the woman was obviously not present and must have left a while ago. She didn’t know where however she felt annoyed that the woman was still not filling her in on anything.

Now the guards she had interacted with were attempting to get her out of bed. She put on the new clothes given to her and also braided her hair, which she hadn’t got the chance to do since she had no window of opportunity and when she did, her hair had become too greasy.  Before she followed the others outside, she went to go to the toilet despite how uncomfortable and cramped it was. It was located in a room, separate from the one she stayed in and was only a little larger than a closet. 

She moved outside onto the street. The thought of bolting and escaping entered her mind when she got the flash of the colours: red, black and purple. There would be no point though. There was a chance she would just be recaptured and forced to stay in the basement longer than she had previously or she would ever just be shot dead for even making a few steps. She did not want to risk it. 

It was also inevitable that she would have to talk to Lucy again at some point. Reminding herself that the woman certainly did not want to converse with her either soothed her worries a bit. She just had to remain professional and go along with the plan she had made. When she moved a few steps forward, Lucy turned around with a cold expression.

“You’ve finally managed to wake up,” Lucy commented, staring daggers at Evie. Evie didn’t think she had taken long or anything but she had lost track of time having being in that room all the time.

“Perhaps I would have woken up earlier if someone had given me the news beforehand,” Evie answered back. Her plan was already not going as she wanted. She did not want to start it off by arguing and creating an even bigger grudge against her. 

“I only got the information at last minute.” Thorne waited for Evie to enter the carriage which was peculiar as before it was the opposite way around. Perhaps she had somehow managed to read the other’s mind and knew exactly what had crossed her mind a minute before. “There were more important preparations to make.”

One of the Templars shut the door, trapping the two of them temporarily. In an attempt to try and make the journey a little less tense, Evie asked, “What information did you find?” 

“I got told by a source that there are some plans on where the Shroud is. People have been sent to retrieve them and they are now being stored away, ready to be delivered someplace else. That is where we are heading now.”

“How do you know this source is reliable?” 

“I don’t. We will have to find out ourselves.”

“Then why do you need my help?”

“There might be something I cannot see in the plans. In addition, there could be a chance of some...opposition.”

Evie didn’t ask for Lucy to elaborate, she didn’t need to. She knew exactly what opposition she meant and she felt her heart sink for only a moment. The Assassins had been monitoring the Templars closely so surely they would hear about this. Evie just hoped that they hadn’t chosen to do something about this. At least she knew Jacob wouldn’t since even if she was gone, he would not have a single care in the world about the piece of Eden. Henry, on the other hand.

She could not imagine what it would be like if she had to fight him. Would she even be able to do it? Hopefully it would not have to come to that but if it did, she would not be able to make the decision. Her mission to keep the Templars from the Shroud should be top priority however she felt conflicted about hurting Henry just to save her own hide. 

But did that mean she would have a weapon now? She remembered Thorne had not trusted her last time but she may have changed her mind. Evie had not spotted anything else being brought to the carriage though so it was safe to assumed her own weapons were still being locked away somewhere.

If she did have a weapon, maybe things would not end so badly. Although, of course, her and Henry would be outnumbered and she wouldn’t be able to escape everyone so easily as before due to the fact her rope launcher had been confiscated.

Evie then felt the sinking feeling before when she suddenly thought about attacking Lucy. She was still unsure about if killing the woman would be moral or not and the time spent with her and Evie’s own feelings made it much more difficult. 

Thinking about the Templar reminded Evie of a question she had wanted to ask. “Is that why you were gone yesterday afternoon?”

The guards in the carriage gave both Evie and Thorne a nervous look, worried that questions would pop up about how Evie would know that information but if Lucy was curious about that, she still did not say anything, not even a glance was aimed at the guards. She only looked at Evie. 

“No. That was an entirely different matter,” she replied. 

Evie noticed a few things but understood that by the other’s body language that she was once again done talking and left the matter alone.

 

She was later relieved to find not everything had changed. Just like how it was at the Kenway mansion, her and Lucy were alone and the other’s attention still went straight to the papers. The two stood next to each other, investigating the plans on the table. Evie tried to pay little attention to how Lucy had sharply shifted her hand away from her’s, an act that she saw as petty and probably should not have irritated her as much as it did. 

“This is Buckingham Palace,” noted Evie.

“It would appear so. The Shroud, according to this, is located in a vault there however let’s hope this is not another false lead. I will give this information to Starrick before we do anything else. I don’t want a repeat of last time,” Thorne affirmed. Evie wanted to react to the snide remarks but she could not put her plan in danger. At least they were working with each other again however.

“It is heavily guarded. It would be hard entering unnoticed by the queen’s guard.” Lucy nodded. The only assumption Evie could make was that she was deep in thought. She saw this as an opportunity to try and test something out using what she learnt earlier. “How much did you drink?” 

The Assassin regretted her curiosity when she had managed to snap Thorne out of her thoughts and was now slightly fearing for her life. “Pardon?”

Despite this, Evie was not going to back out. Much to her dismay, she took the same idea as her brother would have in this situation; just improvise. That was only restricted to if it ended badly however. “I could smell the alcohol back in the carriage. I didn’t think you would be that type of person.”

It was the truth. She never would have imagined Thorne being one to drink alcohol, especially since she always seemed so level headed. Did she not care about her reputation? Or was Lucy that egotistical that she thought she was above that?

The woman hadn’t been her usual self that day. Lucy’s actions were a bit slower and she was much less attentive. That was the reason why Evie did not at all believer her when she replied saying that she was fine and she could handle it on her own. 

“What about your arm?” Evie had noticed more than just the alcohol. It was perhaps not as noticeable to everyone else but it stood out to her how if Thorne moved her arm in a certain motion, she silently winced and it jerked back to its original position.

“My arm is fine, thank you,” spat Lucy. 

“I knew I wasn’t imaging it.” She was given a confused look however she did not say anything yet but she knew she had been putting it off for too long. She had to go through with her idea. “You are still being standoffish towards me. I know what I have done wrong but I don’t want to carry on bickering and aiming jabs at one another because of it so I am sorry. The other night, I was just being stupid and got carried away. It was only spur of the moment. We are two very different individuals and we both have more important things to focus on such as the Shroud. I would like us to make progress on that however that is not easy when you’re not willing to cooperate.”

“I have been cooperating with you, Miss Frye. I have told you all you needed to know back in the carriage and I have answered your questions. What else do you want?”

“For you to stop harboring a grudge against me. I regret what happened as much as you did.”

Lucy frowned. “Regret? I do not regret anything. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Her plan was not going well at all. It just seemed that she was creating another fight. She genuinely felt like she was in the wrong but it seemed her apology was falling on deaf ears.

There suddenly seemed to be a lot of commotion outside. The guards were shouting and there seemed to be a struggle of some sorts but the two of the women could not get to the window in time to view what was happening because a few seconds later, there was a knock on the door that Lucy quickly answered. 

“We have captured another assassin,” Evie overheard the Blighter tell Thorne. 

Most of the conversation was kept quiet therefore Evie couldn’t hear the important details like where they had taken them or what they were planning to do exactly. She knew who it could be though. It seemed that her wish to keep Henry safe had also gone unheard. 

Her mind was on fire, unable to think rationally however she knew she had to make a choice. She wanted to help her friend but she also wanted to deal with Lucy in a non fatal manner. She could try to persuade the woman again to let her go see her ally but with how annoying she had been lately, Evie decided against it.  Another idea bounced around frantically in her brain. She had mixed feelings about it but it would mostly be effective nevertheless.

The Blighter left again and Lucy closed the door after them, slightly inconvenienced by the fact they hadn’t thought to do it themselves. Evie stood still like a statue. She did not once take her eyes off Thorne for even a moment as the Templar started to walk back to the table to gather the plans. 

“As much as I would love to carry on having this dispute with you, we should be leaving now,” Lucy began. “I will carry everything. You only follow, unders-”

It had been just the right moment that Evie had chosen to do this because as soon as she managed to get into close proximity of Lucy, the other had turned around, making her task a little more easy. 

This kiss was less clumsy than the first. It felt less rushed and much more passionate especially how Thorne gripped onto her clothing, keeping Evie close and how the Assassin’s hands were always gently roaming around the other’s body as it was pressed against the table. It was intoxicating enough that it made Evie dread ever having to pull away however she knew she had to. 

The two of them were messes afterwards however it gave Evie insight into what was much a softer (and perhaps even cuter) side to Thorne which made her feel slightly guilty for what she was about to do. She would love to stay with the woman and wait to see what would happen next, even more now because it seemed Lucy did feel the same but it was not possible as she had already made her choice. 

“I should definitely be off now,” Evie muttered. Luckily the buildings here were not as well guarded and not as many precautions had been made, which Evie had noticed and examined while Thorne and the man were conversing. She unlocked the latch and watched from the corner of her eye, Lucy’s expression flicker into one of betrayal and shock. There had not been any one point in her life that had made her more guilty than this moment. 

The rope launcher would have been handy however she was skilled enough in climbing and quickly made her way out of the window and onto the roof, ignoring the sound of Lucy alerting others. Evie bolted for it. She only had to avoid the sight of a sniper and by the time they too were aware of what had occured in the building opposite, she had already activated her eagle vision.

                                                                                                          __________________

 

There was little light but he could still make out their faces even with how bruised and swollen his face was from their beatings. They were relentless however Henry still refused to tell them a thing. Part of him worried that this would be the end of him and the other accepted that possibility and was still determined to fight until the very end. 

There were also many threats that were perhaps worse than death such as the Blighter getting Lucy Thorne to handle the interrogation instead. He heard about how ruthless she was and he did not want to encounter her after the fight with Jacob he had witnessed and intervened in.

Jacob had been furious that Henry had got involved. He somehow still thought he had a chance of defeating Thorne and that Henry should not have been so passive, even if the other had argued against that being the case.

Henry now wondered if he’d even get to see the rook leader again.

His concerns were short lived when the atmosphere around him fell silent. He listened out for clues as to what had happened but only heard muffled noises. Then he felt someone lift him out of the chair and leaning him on their shoulder for support. Henry looked at the stranger’s face, only to realise it was not a stranger at all.

“Evie?” he mumbled, slightly dazed and unstable. 

The other Assassin was able to catch him before he ended up tripping and hurting himself even more and told him, “Yes, it’s me. I would ask you if you’re feeling alright but I think it’s fairly safe to say you’re not.”

Henry attempted to chuckle. “You would be correct in thinking so. Are you okay however?”

“I am fine, just worried about you right now.”

“Well, we were worried about you. What happened?” As the two made their way to the exit of the open area of the sewers, Evie thought about what she should say. Lucy had not exactly been bad to her, sometimes it had been the other way around like today for instance. “I think I should be able to walk by myself now.”

Evie let go of him but kept close by in case his judgement had been incorrect. It wasn’t as he was able to stand on his own and his steps may have been uneasy however it was nothing to kick up a fuss about. 

“My mission at the Tower of London did not go exactly go as planned. I ended up being captured due to one of the guards fooling me and I was brought to Miss Thorne,” Evie explained briefly. 

“Truthfully, I would have thought she would have just murdered you outright.”

“I thought so too however it seems she saw some benefits in keeping me alive and forcing...allowing me to work with her.”

“I cannot imagine that she let you leave willingly.”

She was caught in a storm of guilt once again as she thought back to what she had done. No, Thorne had not let her leave willingly and Evie had instead tricked and manipulated the woman in order to escape. If Lucy did feel the same, then it would be almost like stabbing her in the back. Another interaction with her would not be pleasant. 

Evie only answered with a short ‘no’ and carried on moving, Henry close at foot. There were a few guards to deal with but with gun she had looted from one of the Blighters she had taken out, they were no big issue. 

After escaping the fighting, Evie was out of breath and stood still for a few minutes to get ready to run again, to a station where the train hideout would be.

“You should have stayed back at the train. That was too dangerous,” she muttered to Henry. 

“I am fine. Someone needed to get those plans and Jacob was making no move to do so and if I stay on the train in the future, who will help you in retrieving the necklace from Miss Thorne?” Henry asked. Despite having regained his breath already, Henry made no steps.

Evie smiled at this, finding some satisfaction that she had already thought ahead. “We don’t need to retrieve the necklace from Miss Thorne. I already did.”

She pulled out the necklace she had hidden behind her clothing and showed Henry who had a look of both impressed and surprised. She was impressed and surprised with herself too, she thought Lucy would immediately notice and Henry would have still been harrassed by the Blighters. Perhaps she had luck on her side.

Evie decided to continue on their journey, ignoring the fleeting scent of roses from her shirt. 

 

                                                                                              _____________________

Lucy wished she had not already finished that bottle of wine. She longed for something to take everything off her mind. 

The Templar was still seething with anger. She had promised herself that she would not let things get too far with Evie Frye. She had even tried to ignore the woman and drive her away however it seemed that she had not even been strong enough to complete that one task. Lucy allowed Evie to escape and even allowed her to take the necklace with her. 

There was still confusion overwhelming her about why she had not done anything.  The woman had witnessed Evie escaping. In addition, she had the means to stop the Assassin, even without her lost dagger. However, she still did nothing. Lucy could only blame herself for that mistake. 

Those feelings were returning and she did not know what to do. This was not the first time she trusted someone she loved and had to face the repercussions of it, despite how humiliating they were. Lucy had thought she was stronger and braver now. That image now crumbled which only left her with the realisation that she wasn’t at all. She was still a child. 

That was the only thing that had ruined her that day. 

In the afternoon, she had met with Starrick, given him the plans and unfortunately also had to inform him of the disappearance of Evie and the precursor artifact, news he did not take kindly. In an attempt to calm him down, Lucy promised she would take back the necklace and make Evie pay for what she did. Starrick did relax but there seemed to be something he was not telling her. 

The letter she was given at home told her what it had been. Lucy had genuinely thought the two of them would enter the vault together. She had trusted the man. He was the grand master and her close friend’s family member after all. She had no reason not to.

  
Lucy ended up burning the letter, feeling nothing but numbness. She would just have to make them _ both _ pay now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this has taken me almost 3 weeks to finish. I've been busy and not in the mood for writing because of things like having to get my dog put down and working on an article for someone's blog. 
> 
> Thank you for the kudos and comments as always and I hope you enjoy my fic.


	6. A Night to Remember (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> // The Frye twins attempt to get to the vault before Starrick //
> 
> “Let go."

Feeling exhausted from making progress on the plan to infiltrate Buckingham Palace, Evie headed back to the train. She had become much more absorbed into her missions than she had been previously which could be seen as unhealthy but it was the only way for her to forget a certain someone. Unfortunately, she could not completely forget. 

She could still remember vividly every single detail including how the other woman felt in her arms. Evie couldn’t help the fiery feeling she felt all over her body but it was soon extinguished as soon as she thought of the guilt she felt and how wrong her feelings towards the woman actually were. 

The fact that there was still an issue involving Thorne did not help matters but Evie knew it was vital if they wanted their mission to be a success.

The Assassin made her way throughout the train over to Henry Green and asked, “Any news?” 

“Well, nothing new. We have the Gladstone’s invites so that has made things a little more simpler.” Henry began, about to recap more information until Evie managed to get his attention.

“I meant about Miss Thorne.”

Evie crossed her fingers that her interest in knowing more about the Templar did not give off a wrong impression. Her concerns were just professional although that might have just been a lie she told herself to cover up the truth. 

In reality, part of her missed Lucy. However, she would never openly admit that as she knew that her brother or Henry would understand how she felt so she kept it to herself. She had to accept that things were back to normal and Lucy was her enemy once again, especially after what she did to her. Evie kept repeating that fact over and over in her mind but that did not fix that it still felt like torture being away from the woman. 

She could not let that get in the way of anything. She had one objective now and that was to stop the Templars from obtaining the Shroud, even if it did mean she would have hurt the Templar when she did not really want to. 

“Oh,” Henry sighed, feeling a little surprised by what Evie had said but decided not to ask any questions about it. He was most likely just imagining there was anything more to what she had said. “We still have little information on her. We do not know if she will be at Buckingham Palace along with Starrick and we are still unsure of her whereabouts. The Rooks used your description of where she lives but there has been no sight of her. However, we have heard rumours from some of the Rooks we’ve recently acquired from the gang war in Southwark.”

“What are the rumours?” 

Evie had not expected Jacob to return to the train until much later. She slightly wished that he hadn’t have returned until then as their relationship was starting to become more strained. He was always out however she was not certain where he actually was during this time. He never told her and she did not want to damage things even further by inquiring about it. 

Jacob walked in as both Henry and Evie warily watched him until he went to take his usual spot on the sofa. Jacob then threw his arms up into the air and scoffed, “What? Did I interrupt a moment between you two or something?”

“Jacob…” Evie warned, annoyed at her brother’s antics. 

“I am sorry. I really wasn’t aware but don’t mind me, just pretend I’m not here. I don’t want to spoil anything for you two.”

It took quite a bit of self control on Evie’s part. She had enough on her mind and she did not want to add this tension with her brother to the pile. Fortunately either Henry did not want the two to fight again or he was as fed up as Evie, as he was the one who spoke up instead, “Actually, Jacob, we were only discussing the situation with Lucy Thorne.”

There was no venom in his tone therefore it was hard to tell if there was any resentment Henry felt towards the male twin. His disdain of Jacob would be justified, given how much the two had argued while Evie was gone. It was difficult to imagine Henry showing anything like hatred however. From what Evie had seen of his personality and behaviour, he was gentle and was not the type to hold a grudge against someone.

_ It’s a pity Miss Thorne is not like that _ , Evie thought to herself. She immediately reprimanded herself for thinking of the woman again. She had to get over these feelings and constantly thinking back to the Templar was not helping at all. 

The Assassin instead focused on how her brother’s face turned from one of mischief and smugness into one of genuine interest and focus. 

“Oh, you want revenge now,” said Jacob. He had been intent the past few days, trying to argue to Evie that she should make Lucy pay for what she did. Perhaps before when she had not gotten to properly get to know the Templar, she would have agreed with his view. “I would be more than happy to help you dispose of her.”

“It’s not about that, Jacob,” Evie answered bluntly.

Jacob looked at his sister in confusion. “Then what is it about?”

“Well, unlike you, I realise that the Shroud is our number one priority. Taking back London means nothing if the Templars acquire it therefore I am focusing on that before anything else. That is where Thorne comes in. We simply need to know whether or not she will be someone that has to dealt with.”

“You almost gave me a heart attack then. I thought for a second that you might have decided for once to listen to me.”

She could feel her body start to burn with anger but she took a deep breath and clenched her fist to calm herself. “I am not having another argument.”

Truthfully, it hurt that she could no longer have a normal conversation with her brother without a verbal fight almost starting. She wanted to things to go back to how they used to be, before they ever decided to go to London. That seems quite impossible at the moment. 

It hurt also that she could not confide in him or Henry about her problems. Evie knew right away what their reactions would be and she did not want to lose anyone else she cared about. She would have to handle her feelings by herself. No one would ever have to know how she truly felt and she could easily pretend it never happened, maybe she’d even trick herself in a few years.

She left the carriage, hearing Henry continue the conversation with Jacob in a hushed tone. If she ever did want to fix things properly, she’d have to sort out her own problems first even if that meant she had to face them alone.

 

                                                                                         _____________________

 

_ Jacob had not heard much of the man before the meeting apart from the opinion that he was not to be reckoned with. This gave him an impression of what their leader would be like but the man he had met that night was far different to what he had expected. _

_ Maxwell Roth was older than Jacob thought he would be however his almost carefree attitude left room for the slightest amount of doubt. His physique made him appear feeble but his scars told Jacob otherwise. The Assassin did not think beforehand that the two would get along so quickly and easily either.  _

_ Jacob was still trying to overcome his surprise as he proceeded in the mission. _

_ It was simple enough. The only difficulty he faced was the guards being alerted after he ignited the crates of dynamite. Thanks to his built in rope launcher, he managed to exit  the area just before the explosion that caused the guards to go running in through the doorway. The Assassin was long gone by the time they started investigating.  _

_ After he managed to ignite all the dynamite, he then had to search for the driver of the train. He managed to find the man but unfortunately, the man was not willing to cooperate yet. It took some convincing but finally Jacob was able to get the train out of the station. The locomotive made some distance before he saw a familiar face and got the driver to stop. _

_ “Splendid!” exclaimed Roth as Jacob left the train. Roth’s excited tone brought a grin to the younger man’s face. “Starrick will be on his knees in no time. My hat is off to you.” _

_ Jacob was at a loss for words, he was too preoccupied in taking in every detail of the other. He found interesting how there was a gleam in the man’s eye but shook it off as just overreacting. It was probably the light reflecting. _

_ Roth then boarded the train and said to Jacob, “Apologies, I must run. Do come see me again.” _

_ He gave Jacob a smile, which the other man returned, before starting the train again. Jacob watched as Roth and his Blighters were no longer in view and left to return to his own train.  _

_ He did not give it a second thought. He would definitely go see Roth again. There was something about him that made Jacob trust him and enjoy his company but it could have just been the alcohol that he’d been given that was messing with his mind. He would just have to see if that was the case in the morning. _

The area was filled with people: women in vibrantly coloured ball gowns and men in stylish suits. It would have seemed like no issue to anyone else but it was to Jacob Frye as he now had to find a way to climb up the building to meet Abberline without anyone noticing. He could already imagine the strange looks he would receive. 

He indulged in everything the outdoor ballroom had to offer such as the drinks being served and the odd bit of chatter here and there. That continued until he managed to move himself to a more isolated location where he would be able to sneak up onto the roof without being spotted. 

He pulled himself up, hanging onto window ledges and then pushing himself onwards before he finally managed to get to his destination. 

Jacob crouched down, not wanting to alert the guards of his position. He took in the view and he made sure to pay close attention to the guests. The Assassin wanted to make sure there was none he recognised.

Turns out that there was one: Crawford Starrick, himself. However, that particular target was stationary for now. Although, Jacob just narrowed that down to the fact that there was nothing for him to do as of now. The only way to get into the vault was using the necklace Evie had. 

Thinking more about it, Jacob realised that he should probably warn his sister before Starrick tries anything. He could not do so right now as she was possibly already in the drawing room by now and he didn’t want to be blamed for alarming the royal guard. He would just have to wait until she arrived back outside which he hoped would be sooner rather than later.

The guards on the roof, flashing a ruby red, would also get in the way of him helping his sister before it was too late. He would just have to deal with them quickly. Roth had mentioned briefly that there would still be Blighters posing as guards and although that it was less now that he had the other man on his side, there were still a fair few to be dealt with. More than what Jacob originally thought. 

Jacob began to move to where Abberline was waiting but saw a familiar figure making their way out of the palace, in a rush it seemed. He watched as the person was soon concealed in the sea of guests and soon after, Evie followed, looking flustered and moving slowly after them until she caught sight of her twin. 

This was something Roth had not mentioned to him. 

                                                                                   __________________________

  
  


After retrieving its contents, Evie closed the chest. The plans she now held in her hands was very similar since they were a complete replica of the ones Thorne had managed to acquire. Truthfully, it would have been much easier for her to just trust herself on knowing where the vault would be but the Assassin would always be a perfectionist to heart. She could not let any minor detail be skipped over and she did not trust herself enough, which could be seen as a mistake as these plans now told her that her memory was actually reliable for once. 

She refused to believe it was all for nought however. Surely Henry or Jacob would have need for the document since they needed to know where the vault would be as well. It would be a nightmare if Evie had to do it all by herself. 

She exited the drawing room, using the door closest to her. There were two guards at the window of the room but she managed to sneak by, just after another guard in the hallway she was planning to enter turned around and faced away from her. She took the chance and proceeded on. 

Evie was then met with the sight of the same stairs she had used to get to the upper floor. She walked down them, relief soothing in with every step she took.

The mission seemed to be going well and it included nothing that Evie could not handle. She expected it to have more challenges. She did not think it would be so easy to get past the royal guard or enter the drawing room without alerting anyone. Part of her had actually expected her brother to do something unpredictable and idiotic as usual but no such thing occurred. 

In addition, the mission also distracted her from everything else going on such as the tension between her and her brother. It still seemed almost surreal that this could possibly be the last time they ever worked together. 

Evie reached the end of the stairs, immediately spotting Mrs Disraeli and started to approach her. 

However, she never managed to get the other’s attention as her arm was yanked and she was pulled over to the side. The wall covering this area meant that no one else could witness this. She retaliated and fought back against whoever it was who had done this but immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw their face.

“I would have attempted to talk to you sooner however I was afraid that you would push me down the stairs. It seems traitors like you are spontaneous like that, given that you suddenly decided to betray my trust after you gave me an ‘apology’, if you can even call it such,” Lucy explained.

If Evie had not noticed the glint of burning anger in Lucy’s eyes and how fake her smile seemed, she would have mistaken her tone as being sincere and almost friendly like the two were old friends catching up with each other and not worst enemies.

Lucy’s words stung though and Evie immediately felt the same feeling of guilt flood back into her system. 

“I didn’t plan any of it. I wasn’t thinking,” Evie tried to justify. She knew she was getting nowhere but she did not have the correct words and her mind was too unorganised after seeing the Templar after so long. If she thought that her feelings for the woman had faded away after time, she was very false. 

“I am not hear to hear your pathetic excuses to try and avoid the fact that you are in the wrong, Miss Frye. I am here for something much more valuable.”

Evie was confused for a split second about what she meant however soon understood when she saw that Lucy was staring at the necklace hanging around her neck. She immediately took a step back but the Templar followed her every move. Evie was about to shield the necklace by grabbing it however Lucy was much quicker on the uptake. 

It was as if she was reliving the events back at St Paul’s cathedral. Just like back then, Thorne had hold of the necklace and it felt like to Evie that she had a noose wrapped around her neck. It did not help that she already had a lack of oxygen just by being near the woman, especially when they were now so close to one another. 

Looking up, Lucy had the same expression as then. She knew she had the upper hand. Evie was unable to move because of her gown and her weapons were unavailable therefore the woman had found the perfect opportunity to strike, despite the fact it was uncertain if it was pure coincidence or not. 

“Let go,” Evie tried to hiss out, trying to show no weakness however the look on her face and the way she choked out her words gave everything away. The other took notice of this and tightened her grip and raised an eyebrow at Evie.

That look in the Lucy’s eyes was back and the Assassin knew that this was not an attempt to be playful or anything. She was reminded of how deadly this woman could actually be. 

Although, that was not the deciding factor when she stopped clinging onto Thorne’s wrist and moved it to the back of her neck to take off the necklace. The strangling sensation came to an end and the necklace was now in Lucy’s hands. 

Evie could only watch as the smirk disappeared. Not a word was said and Lucy did not spare another look at her, instead she started to move to the exit towards the outdoor ballroom. Unlike Evie, she was able to move quickly, although her outfit was designed to not stand out and it had her signature colours: purple and black. 

Suddenly, the brunette changed her mind. She followed Lucy as close as was possible for her at this point.

Fortunately, her brother had not made it to Abberline yet and she spotted him just in time. Evie was starting to lose sight of the other woman but spotted a slight complication instead as she was searching for her. At least she knew where the other was heading. 

She moved towards the building, trying to not catch anyone’s attention as she spoke, “I need your help, Jacob. Can you please quickly go fetch my outfit and equipment from Abberline?”

“Is that the only thing you need help with?” Jacob inquired. He was looking over into the distance and Evie could only assume that because of his vantagepoint, he must still see Lucy. She then understood what he was trying to ask.

“There is another matter however could you please just go get everything first? This is urgent.”

Her twin nodded, vanishing from the edge of the rooftop and soon she heard a series of thuds until they finally got closer and closer once again. Jacob arrived back, throwing down her clothes, her gauntlet and her weapons. Evie would have chastised her brother for being so careless with them as they were brand new but she did not want to waste any time. 

She then however looked up to see her brother had brought more things with him. 

“I do not need your help with Thorne. I can handle her by myself so you do not need to tag along.”

Jacob stopped strapping his gauntlet onto the sleeve of his suit and looked down at Evie with a look of disbelief and confusion. He then said, “You said you needed my assistance with something.”

“Distract Starrick. Make sure that he does not leave this area.”

Evie ignored her brother’s protests as she moved through the crowd over to somewhere she would be able to change. She arrived at her destination, quickly changing out of the dress even though it was quite the hassle however just as she exited, she heard a rumble and looked over to where the vault would be and saw a mass of smoke. 

Hopefully, this would be the final confrontation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's taken so long to update this. I wasn't sure if this was good or not but I am working on the next chapter and hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

**Author's Note:**

> My first piece of fanfiction in the Thornye fandom! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and I am very shocked to see how little there is in terms of fanfiction for this ship so I thought I would add my own story to it. 
> 
> Anyone reading this who has previously read my other fanfictions, A Web of Barbed Wire will be continuing. I've wrote quite a lot for it so please be patient. As for my Overwatch fanfiction, I think it may be discontinued as I am not as passionate about it and I like other ships such as Moicy now but thank you so much for your kudos on them. It's given me lots of confidence in my writing.


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